Rumored iris scanning capabilities may be coming to a future iPhone a year earlier than expected, with Chinese-language MoneyDJ quoting supply chain sources as saying that the feature would be making its debut on the Tenth Anniversary iPhone launching in 2017. The iris scanner for 2017 iPhone refresh should be manufactured by Taiwan-based Xintec.
An affiliate of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (which builds Apple-designed processors for iPhones), Xintec specializes in packaging services for CMOS image and fingerprint sensors and other sensors.
The company should start fulfilling new orders for iris-recognition solutions in the fourth quarter of 2016, in time for the Tent Anniversary iPhone in 2017.
“Xintec is expected to enter mass production for iris-recognition chips in 2017, which will boost the backend house’s revenues for the year,” according to the report. “New orders for iris-recognition sensors include those for the chips that will be embedded in the 2017 series of iPhone,” market watchers were also quoted in the report.
Back in the summer, DigiTimes claimed iris scanning capabilities would be coming to iPhones in 2018, but now it appears the feature could be implemented on iPhones as soon as next year. Iris scanning could augment Touch ID verification to boost security because the human iris, which is the circular colored muscle of the eye, is unique to each person just like the fingerprint.
Source: MoneyDJ (Google Translate) via DigiTimes